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Horse-tail hair the latest target of local thieves.

Krista Batty shows the length of tail hair stolen from Vinnie last weekend.

— image credit: Peter W. Rusland

Krista Batty lifts what's left of Vinnie the horse's black tail hair that touched the ground before weekend thieves targeted her five mounts.

"On Saturday they they cut (hair from) two full tails off, and took a chunk out of our three other horses, so the horses must not have stood still," said an angry Batty.

Vinnie's long muzzle also seemed puzzled about his stubby tail now resembling a whisk, rather than a broom.

A similar hair heist — reported to the RCMP — happened in March at the Batty family's spread off Old Lake Cowichan Road. Cuttings have also been taken from horses at other spreads nearby.

Painlessly trimming hair to the end of the tail bone leaves the animals unable to swat flies and other summer pests, Batty explained. It denies owners points for pretty braided tails in competitions too.

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